Motor-driven shaver



April 8, 1.952 G. A. SEELEY ETAL MOTOR-DRIVEN SHAVER Filed NOV. 29, 1947 76812?! are: G' flZd/z vitgy Ge a I. Je 'y 0 %.-W

Patented Apr. 8, 1952 MOTOR-DRIVEN SHAVER George Allan Seeley, New Haven, Conn, and George E. Seeley, Worcester, Mass.

Application November 29, 1947, Serial No. 788,878

3 Claims. (01. 30-43) The present invention relates in general to motor driven devices for clipping hairs, such as shavers, such devices being otherwise known as electric razors. The device of the present invention is particularly concerned with improvements in the construction of the rotary cutter blades and the cooperating perforated guard through which the hair cutting operation is performed, by a shearing action between guard and blades.

More specifically, the present invention provides an improved cutting head construction comprising a perforated cutter blade guard of simple form which is mounted for free rotational movement during the shaving operation, so that it may be rolled over the face or other surface being shaved. Furthermore, the cutter guard is so constructed that it may be readily removed from the cutting head, for the purpose of cleaning or for giving access to the cooperating cutter blades.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved arrangement of cutter blades mounted on-the shaft of the driving motor in such manner as to be readily assembled thereon or removed therefrom, for purposes of replacement or adjustment. The cutter blades themselves are of extremely simple construction adapted for large scale production on an economical basis, the blades being provided with certain distinguishing characteristics which assure the proper assembly of the blades on the shaft of the driving motor.

Further objects and features of the invention will hereinafter morefully appear from the following description, considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a motor driven shaver embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the shaver of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale, with the cutter blade guard lifted to expose the cutter blades.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view along the line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, and on the same scale as Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one pair of cutter blades assembled in proper relation for mounting on the shaft of the driving motor.

Fig. 5 illustrates the construction of the other pair of cutter blades, when assembled atright angles to the blades of Fig. 4.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the invention is shown, for purposes of illustration, as being embodied in a shaver of the electric motor driven type, wherein a casing I encloses an electric motor, not shown. The casing is of such form that it may be readily held in one hand, with the casing I providing a movable control member 2 readily operated by the thumb for actuating a suitable switch for connecting the motor to a source of electrical energy through the connection cord'3 at the small end of the casing I.

The outer end of the motor casing I carries the shaver head assembly, generally designated as 4, this assembly consisting essentially of a per-' forated cutter guard 5 mounted on a table 6, rotatable with respect to the casing I and enclosing cutter blades I carried by the rotatably driven shaft 8 of the electric motor. As will hereinafter appear, the guard 5 is capable of free turning movement independently of the positive rotation of the blades I within the guard 5, so that the guard may be rolled over the face, or other surface being shaved, with a shearing'or. cutting action on any hairs extending through the guard 5, as a result of relative rotative movement between the guard and blades.

As best shown in Fig. 2, the guard 5 is removably mounted on the table 6 by means of a series of spring-pressed balls 9 projecting beyond the periphery of the table 6 and received in openings I0 provided in an unperforated zone So at the bottom of the guard 5. With this mounting of the guard 5, it is possible to readily remove the guard from the base 6 by depressing the balls 9 and lifting the guard so as to expose the cutter blades I. Since the guard 5 is made of very thin metal, means are provided, as will later appear, for depressing the balls 9 and removing the guard 5 without subjecting the guard to any appreciable pressure, such as would deform or bend the same.

As best shown in Fi 2, the table 6 is secured to a sleeve I I which extends downwardly through a housing I2 secured to the upper end of the motor casing I in such manner as to be readily attached thereto. The sleeve II is spaced from the motor shaft 8, and the sleeve I I is supported for free rotation, with respect to the shaft 8, by means of antifriction bearings I3 and I4 surrounding the ends of the sleeve II. The races I5 for the outer bearing I3 are located between the table 6 and a housing portion I2a, while the races I6 for the inner bearing I4 are held on the opposite end of the sleeve II by a snap ring I! to maintain the entire bearing assembly in position, as shown in the broken away portion of Fig. 1.

The housing I2, together with the bearings I3 and I4 for supporting the sleeve I I and the table '6, are capable of being assembled as a unit enhousing I2.

tirely carried by the housing I2, which housing may then be screwed onto the upper end of the motor casing I. In forming this assembly of parts, the ball races I for the outer bearing I3 are positioned within the outer end of the housing I2, after which the sleeve II carrying the table 6 is passed through the housing I2, with the free end of the sleeve II extending beyond the inner portion I2a of the The races I6 for the inner bearing I4 are then positioned around the end of the sleeve, with the entire assembly being locked in place by the ring I'I. Since there is ample clearance between the motor shaft 8 and the sleeve I1, the table 6, with the cutter guard 5 mounted thereon, is always free to rotate independently of the motor shaft 8 which carries the cutter blades 1.

As previously pointed out, the cutter blades I are made in pairs, and one such pair of blades 'la is shown in perspective in Fig. 4, as having been removed from the motor shaft 8. Each blade 1a is formed from thin metal stock having the necessary hardness, with each blade Ia having a shape substantially corresponding to the inside contour of the cutter guard 5. Each blade Ia provides a slot I8 extending for substantially one-half the length of the blade, and a portion of the blade on one side of the slot I8 is offset from the remainder of the blade to provide a cutting edge I9.

It is to be noted that the cutting edge I9 of each blade Ia is at a greater distance from the slot I8 than the opposite edge, so that when the blades Ia are assembled with their edge I9 on opposite sides, as shown in Fig. 4, to bring the slots I8 into register, the offset cutting edge of each blade will extend somewhat beyond the adjacent edge of the other blade. When the two blades Ia are so assembled with their slots I8 in register, notches 28 at the base of each blade will also be in register.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be seen that the outer end of the motor shaft 8 provides slots 2I at right angles to each other, with the slots 2I having a depth somewhat greater than the overall depth of a blade Ia. Each shaft slot 2I is of a width sufficient to freely receive a pair of assembled blades Ia such as is shown in Fig. 4, and when the pair of blades is inserted into a shaft slot 2I, the blade notches 20 will rest at the bottom of the shaft slot, with the ends of the notches 20 having a slight clearance with respect to the sides of the shaft 8, for a purpose which will later appear. It is to be noted that with the pair of blades 1a assembled in a shaft slot 2 I, the blade slots I8 will slightly overlap the slot 2I so as to permit the ready insertion of a second pair of blades lb within the other motor shaft slot.

As best shown in Fig. 5, the second pair of blades 11) are of slightly different form as compared to the blades Ia, although the blades 'Ib have the same outline as the blades Ia. The difference between the blades resides in providing each blade 1b with a slot 22 that extends downwardly from the middle of the blade to join a notch 23, similar in form to the notch 20 of each blade 1a. The two blades 1b each provide an offset cutting edge 24, so that when the blades lb are assembled with their slots 22 in register, the cutting edges 24 will project outwardly on either side in the same manner as shown in Fig. 4.

When it is desired to assemble both pairs of blades Ia and Ib on the motor shaft 8, the blades 1a are first positioned as shown in Fig. 4, with their slots I8 in register, and the pair of blades inserted into one of the shaft slots 2I. The other pair of blades 11) are then held together with their slots 22 in register, and the blades inserted in the other shaft slot 2I. Since the registered blade slots I8 and 22 open towards each other, the second pair of blades 'Ib may be readily moved downwardly into the position of Fig. 2, with the lower edges of all of the blades resting on the table 6, and with a snap ring 8a holding their upper edges.

When the cutter guard 5 is placed in position over the assembled blades Ia and 1b, the cutting edges I9 and 24 are adapted to adjust themselves to the inside of the guard, because of the fact that each blade is capable of relative movement with respect to the other blade of its pair. As previously pointed out, the notches 28 of the blades 1a have a slight clearance with respect to the sides of the shaft 8, and the same holds true with respect to the notches 23 of the blades 1b. Therefore, the cutting edges of the blades are capable of inward movement when the guard 5 is placed over the cutter blades, and locked in position by the spring pressed balls 9, thereby effectively preventing any jamming of the guard on the blades, and permitting ready removal of the guard, if desired.

When the motor within the casing I is operated with the guard 5 in position, rotation of the motor shaft 8 will cause the blades Ia and 1b to turn rapidly, independently of the table 6, and since the blades are freely mounted within the shaft slots 22, each blade will tend to move outwardly. in the direction of its cutting edge, under the action of centrifugal force. The blades will all move in the direction of their cutting edges I9 and 24, because of the fact that with the blade slots I8 and 22 in register, more than one-half of the Weight of each blade is on the side toward the cutting edge. As a result, the cutting edges I9 and 24 of all four blades will always be moving in close engagement with the inside of the cutter guard 5, so as to perform a shearing action on hairs extending through perforations of the guard when the shaver is in use.

With the arrangement described above, the cutter guard 5, by reason of its mounting on the table 6, is always capable of free rotation about its axis, independently of the rotative movement of the blades. Therefore, the cutter guard 5 may be rolled over the face during the shaving operation, in a direction opposite to, or the same as, the direction of rotation of the motor shaft 8 and the blades carried thereby. This results in a very effective cutting action, as the guard is rolled slowly over the face, or other surface being shaved, in either direction, since the rate of rotation of the blades is greatly in excess of the rate of turning the guard 5.

Should the cutter g-uard 5 tend to rotate in the same direction as that in which the cutter blades are moving, before the start of the shaving operation, such rotation can be checked by a slight finger-pressure on the unperforated zone 5a at the base of the guard 5 Where the balls 9 are located. It has been found that a relatively light finger-pressure will be suflicient to hold the guard 5 nearly stationary until the shaving operation is started by rolling the guard over the face in the desired direction of rotation.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that, by the present invention, there is provided an improved shaver of the motor-driven type, that is characterized by its simplicity of construction and effectiveness in operation. Since all parts of the shaver head assembly are accessible for ready cleaning and adjustment, by reason of the removability of both the cutter guard and the blades, the shaver can always be kept in good operating condition.

We claim:

1. A hair cutting device comprising, an elongated casing containing a motor, a motor-driven shaft extending from one end of said casing, cutter blades removably carried upon the distal end of said shaft, a hollow cylindrical housing removably mounted upon one end of said casing so as to surround that portion of said shaft between said casing and said cutter blades, a cylindrical table having a central aperture and disposed entirely between the free end of said housing and said cutter blades so that said shaft projects through the table aperture, an elongated sleeve projecting axially from said table and spaced from said shaft and said housing, ball-bearing members disposed at each of the two opposite ends of said sleeve for supporting said table upon said housing for free rotation independently of said shaft, and a cutter guard removably mounted upon said table and having a perforated portion surrounding said cutter blades for cooperation with the cutting edges thereof. with said table, sleeve, bearings and housing being attachable as a unit assembly to said motor casing.

2. A hair cutting device comprising, an elongated casing containing a motor, a motor-driven shaft extending from one end of said casing, cutter blades removably carried upon the distal end of said shaft, a hollow cylindrical housing removably mounted upon one end of said casing so as to surround that portion of said shaft between said casing and said cutter blades, a cylindrical table having a central aperture and disposed entirely between the free end of said housing and said cutter blades so that said shaft projects through the table aperture, an elongated sleeve projecting axially from said table and spaced from said shaft and said housing, thrust 'bearing balls disposed between said table and one end portion of said housing, a snap ring seated within a groove formed within the free end portion of said sleeve, a bearing race surrounding said sleeve and abutting against said snap ring, a second set of thrust bearing balls disposed between said bearing race and the other end por-' tion of said housing, said bearing balls functioning to support said table upon said housing for free rotation, independently of said shaft, and said snap ring functioning to lock said table and said sleeve to said housing, and a cutter guard removably mounted upon said table and having a perforated portion surrounding said cutter blades for cooperation with the cutting edges thereof, with said table, sleeve, bearings and housing being attachable as a unit assembly to said motor casing.

3. A hair cutting device comprising, an elongated casing containing a motor, a motor-driven shaft extending from one end of said casing and having its outer end portion provided with two longitudinally extending slots each disposed at right angles to the other, a first pair of identical cutter blades disposed back to back with cutting edges along opposite margins, each of said blades having a slot extending longitudi nally from its upper portion to its mid-portion, a second pair of cutter blades identical with said first pair of blades except that each of the blades of said second pair is provided with a slot extending longitudinally from its lower portion to its mid-portion, said two pairs of blades having their slots interfitted together so that the blade pairs will be disposed crosswise of each other and said blades being disposed as a unit within the cross slots of said shaft, the slots of each of said blades being sufficiently wide to permit radial movement between the blade and said shaft, and a cutter guard removably mounted on the shaft end of said casing and having a perforated portion surrounding said cutter blades for cooperation with the cutting edges thereof.

GEORGE ALLAN SEELEY. GEORGE E. SEELEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,253,016 Collins Aug. 19, 1941 2,300,397 Abrams Nov. 3, 1942 2,332,498 Burks Oct. 26, 19 3 2,335,288 Lundquist Nov. 30, 1943 2,369,821 Eclov Feb. 20, 1945 

